A Tikka "Cleaning" Regimen. A Little Brake Clean and Homemade Olive Oil is All You Need.

[West2East]

Tikka T3x Lite 6.5cm: I tried to run my firing pin dry after cleaning with brake clean like the first post. After about 50 dry cycles and 20 dry fire practice shots indoors, I got a noticeable heavy lift and it felt like in the cocking motion. I pulled the firing pin and put a dot of olive oil on my gloved finger and spread that all over the spring and upper pin and plunging it a few times. After doing this, the bolt lift returned to normal.
I do notice that now I have a chatter (probably in the last 20 firings) when running the bolt to the rear and forwards, and I'm seeing a wear line on the bolt body which appears to be from the rear of the action.
Would you expect this to wear down after a bit or is this something where I put too little oil on, too much? I have around 350 rounds through the gun and probably around the same in dry cycles.
Edit to add: I live in coastal Oregon, shooting on the coast and over east where it is drier

 

[wind gypsy]

here is from tikka t3x manual:

Routine cleaning should always take place right after use of the rifle (even without shooting). Maintenance should
not be neglected even in case of the “All-weather” or “Stainless” models. Corrosion can begin within 24 hours if the
rifle is not cleaned after use. It is recommended to support the rifle with the bipod during cleaning. Use only high
quality gun oil that cleans, lubricates and preserves (CLP). Routine cleaning procedure is done as follows:
1. Ensure that the rifle is unloaded and remove the bolt and magazine
2. In case the rifle has been used in wet conditions dry it using compressed air or let it dry in a warm / dry place
without any protective cover i.e. drag bag.
3. Use an absolutely straight, sturdy and smooth cleaning rod fitted with bronze bore brush soaked in bore solvent
and push-pull it through the bore until major residue is removed (approx. 10-15 times). It is recommended to
use cleaning rod guide to prevent the rod from dragging on the inner surfaces of the bore and receiver.
4. Push a clean felt pellet moistened with cleaning solvent through the bore one after another until pellets come
out clean (approx. 5-10 times). Clean only in the direction of bullet movement and replace dirty pellet with new
before every cleaning sequence. Guide the cleaning rod with fingers or special bore guide.
5. Clean the inner surfaces of the receiver from all the firing residue with felt pellet and/or brush moistened with
cleaning solvent.
6. Use a small solvent-wetted brush to clean the bolt from firing residue.
7. Use larger diameter nylon brush or particular chamber cleaning pellet moistened with bore solvent to clean
the chamber.
8. Pass a regular bore pellet moistened with rust preventive oil through the bore. Also, leave a thin coat of oil on
the cartridge chamber surface (remember to wipe it dry before shooting!).
9. Wipe all touching surfaces of the receiver and bolt with a very light coat of rust preventive oil.
10. Wipe the stock dry. In case of wooden stock, ensure that surfaces are lightly oiled with a proper wooden stock
oil.
11. Check the correct tightness of the receiver screws (fig. 5)

https://www.krale.shop/media/blfa_files/Manual_-_Tikka_T3x_Hunter_EN_FI_SE_IT_DE_FR_ES_-min_1.pdf

I had to google "bore pellet". They look nice, i've always hated patches whether on a jag or wrapped around a brush.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Tikka T3x Lite 6.5cm: I tried to run my firing pin dry after cleaning with brake clean like the first post. After about 50 dry cycles and 20 dry fire practice shots indoors, I got a noticeable heavy lift and it felt like in the cocking motion. I pulled the firing pin and put a dot of olive oil on my gloved finger and spread that all over the spring and upper pin and plunging it a few times. After doing this, the bolt lift returned to normal.

Some folks in very humid or extreme climates have had good luck with adding a properly rated grease to the firing pin assembly. I’ve only ever had and seen issues when the factory oil is left in there and it corrodes. I’ve ran my assemblies “dry” for several years now with no issues.

I do notice that now I have a chatter (probably in the last 20 firings) when running the bolt to the rear and forwards, and I'm seeing a wear line on the bolt body which appears to be from the rear of the action.
Would you expect this to wear down after a bit or is this something where I put too little oil on, too much? I have around 350 rounds through the gun and probably around the same in dry cycles.
Edit to add: I live in coastal Oregon, shooting on the coast and over east where it is drier

Care to share a video of the described “chatter”? I have seen instances where the front or rear action screw slightly protrudes causing seemingly unnoticed contact but it was actually rubbing. A faint wear line on the bolt body and lugs where they ride on the action can be normal. It shouldn’t be anything that causes noticeable issues though. If that’s happening something else is interfering or you are consistently putting extreme downward or upward pressure on the bolt when racking.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

This was the result of leaving factory oil in the firing pin assembly in an extreme coastal environment. This was a “low use” rifle and the gun completely locked up on a hunt while dry firing.

 

[West2East]

Care to share a video of the described “chatter”? I have seen instances where the front or rear action screw slightly protrudes causing seemingly unnoticed contact but it was actually rubbing. A faint wear line on the bolt body and lugs where they ride on the action can be normal. It shouldn’t be anything that causes noticeable issues though. If that’s happening something else is interfering or you are consistently putting extreme downward or upward pressure on the bolt when racking.

Yeah my firing pin looks fairly clean.
When I got home I planned on uploading a video. So I ran some dry fires and after about 20 I got to the hard bolt lift and it was definitely grinding metal.

I pulled it apart, brake cleaned the firing pin and put some M-Pro 7(pencil head amount on my gloved fingers) and spread that over the spring and pin plunging the pin as much as I could to spread it.
Put it back together and ran the dry cycles about 20 more times, until I got to the grinding metal/hard bolt lift. To the point it would not raise.

It took a hammer to get the Bolt open. After looking at it. The grinding was happening at the pin cocking ramp and sure enough, there's metal there.

It must've gotten a gouge in it when I was cleaning. Is this something you would sandpaper 220grit? New firing pin assembly? Keep hammering it open until it wears out? Jk but maybe

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[cal30_sniper]

Yeah my firing pin looks fairly clean.
When I got home I planned on uploading a video. So I ran some dry fires and after about 20 I got to the hard bolt lift and it was definitely grinding metal.

I pulled it apart, brake cleaned the firing pin and put some M-Pro 7(pencil head amount on my gloved fingers) and spread that over the spring and pin plunging the pin as much as I could to spread it.
Put it back together and ran the dry cycles about 20 more times, until I got to the grinding metal/hard bolt lift. To the point it would not raise.

It took a hammer to get the Bolt open. After looking at it. The grinding was happening at the pin cocking ramp and sure enough, there's metal there.

It must've gotten a gouge in it when I was cleaning. Is this something you would sandpaper 220grit? New firing pin assembly? Keep hammering it open until it wears out? Jk but maybe

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Check to make sure the end of the firing pin (where it protrudes from the bolt body) isn’t bent. I had a similar hard bolt lift issue with a bolt that got dropped on concrete while it was out for cleaning. I ended up straightening the firing pin pretty easily and it fixed the bolt lift issue.

New bolts and replacement firing pin assemblies aren’t cheap.

 

[RockAndSage]

Yeah my firing pin looks fairly clean.
When I got home I planned on uploading a video. So I ran some dry fires and after about 20 I got to the hard bolt lift and it was definitely grinding metal.

I pulled it apart, brake cleaned the firing pin and put some M-Pro 7(pencil head amount on my gloved fingers) and spread that over the spring and pin plunging the pin as much as I could to spread it.
Put it back together and ran the dry cycles about 20 more times, until I got to the grinding metal/hard bolt lift. To the point it would not raise.

It took a hammer to get the Bolt open. After looking at it. The grinding was happening at the pin cocking ramp and sure enough, there's metal there.

It must've gotten a gouge in it when I was cleaning. Is this something you would sandpaper 220grit? New firing pin assembly? Keep hammering it open until it wears out? Jk but maybe

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Stop oiling that cocking ramp. Especially when they get that bad, it needs grease. There is a lot heavier load on that spot than any other part of your rifle, and the heavier the load, specially under slower speeds, the more benefit you get out of a grease.

 

[Norcal18]

Stop oiling that cocking ramp. Especially when they get that bad, it needs grease. There is a lot heavier load on that spot than any other part of your rifle, and the heavier the load, specially under slower speeds, the more benefit you get out of a grease.

Mine had similar issues once, and grease recommendations?

 

[West2East]

The firing pin is straight. It's definitely the ramp grinding during the cocking phase. If I were to put grease there, what kind? I don't want to cause an issue with dirt, dust getting into that spot. I don't like maintenance so if this could be a 6 month cleaning regime, that would be great, 12 month, even better.

 

[West2East]

Upon a little research this morning I ran across DriSlide. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0...33-a7eb-f9d9e265fc41.pdf?10133187323097832144
Has anyone used this? I'm thinking of just a thin layer on the bearing surface from the cocking ramp and the firing pin. This area is "covered" by the lot shroud so I would expect large debris getting in there. But I don't want something that would attract dust as I spend a good portion of hunting season in a dry Oregon desert area. Especially this year with an antelope tag.

 

[RockAndSage]

Mine had similar issues once, and grease recommendations?

Slow moving parts under heavy load do well with thicker greases, especially with high levels of "solid" lubricant additives, like moly or teflon. Those additive lubricants lay really slick microscopic solids over the top of the rough spots, helping the other grease components do their job even better. The cocking ramp on bolt actions is one of the very few places on any gun where an automotive grease would be okay - generally, automotive greases are far too thick for guns for maximum reliability, especially semi-autos, and especially in cold temps. So look for lightweight greases with high additive content.

TW-25B has great low-temp properties and a high teflon content, and is a proven weapons-grade grease. The only caveat is you don't want to use it in suppressed ARs or DI ARs in general, as the teflon off-gasses some really nasty stuff in the temps those gas systems cause, including small amounts of hydrofluoric acid and a bunch of carcinogens. But in a bolt gun or something like an M2 Browning, it's great. @omicron1792 mentioned Waffenfett above, which is a solid option. It's very common in Euro guns, and most options tend to have good low-temp properties as well. CherryBalmz has a series of lightweight greases designed for guns, including one for bolt actions, and they have high additive content, along with being good cold-weather options. Probably the cheapest by volume would be Aeroshell 64, which is an aircraft grease with a high moly content, and as an aircraft grease it tends to do better in low temps over other heavy-industry greases, like automotive greases.

It's hard to overstress the the importance of cold-temp tolerance in guns. If you're not going to use that gun in sub-freezing temps, you're good with an automotive grease on that cocking ramp, but defintely do not use it on the firing pin or other places in the gun, it'll just be too heavy for maximum reliability, especially in the cold.

The thing about gun lubes is that most people have never put in the time and round-count to know the limitations of what their pet lube is capable of, and aren't always aware of malfunctions being lube or friction related, and it gets blamed on something else. Guys can also get pretty tribal in their lube choices, bizarrely. The most important thing though is just to keep it lubed, be aware of the state of the lube, how long it's been on, and how many rounds you have on one lube job. From there, it's a just a matter of figuring out the limitations of any given lube you're using.

 

[RockAndSage]

Upon a little research this morning I ran across DriSlide. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0...33-a7eb-f9d9e265fc41.pdf?10133187323097832144
Has anyone used this? I'm thinking of just a thin layer on the bearing surface from the cocking ramp and the firing pin. This area is "covered" by the lot shroud so I would expect large debris getting in there. But I don't want something that would attract dust as I spend a good portion of hunting season in a dry Oregon desert area. Especially this year with an antelope tag.

Dry lubes are one of those things that sound great on paper, but in reality don't pan out too well. What they are, are the solid additive lubricants mentioned in my post above, like moly or teflon, suspended in a carrier solvent that is meant to flash off and just leave the dry lube behind. Those dry lubes are held in place by light electromagnetic forces, so they don't do too well under heavy load by themselves, or lots of cycling.

The worst places would actually be that cocking ramp under heavy load, or something like the friction surfaces inside a machinegun, that experience high cycling volumes. They just don't stay put well.

The places where they do work well are around springs that aren't getting super high volumes of cycling, friction, or load. The insides magazine bodies are the best place for them in guns, and even then they tend to slough off after a few dozen cycles.

 

[West2East]

I think I'll end up going with the Bolt gun CherryBalmz. Once I get it in, I'll report back on initial thoughts.

As an aside, to the guy thinking (I'll never be the guy to launch a spring across the room and lose it) I'm that guy. So I am currently waiting to get my 3-pack of bolt shroud springs. Need to wrap this up to get my second cold bore shot done!

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Yeah my firing pin looks fairly clean.
When I got home I planned on uploading a video. So I ran some dry fires and after about 20 I got to the hard bolt lift and it was definitely grinding metal.

I pulled it apart, brake cleaned the firing pin and put some M-Pro 7(pencil head amount on my gloved fingers) and spread that over the spring and pin plunging the pin as much as I could to spread it.
Put it back together and ran the dry cycles about 20 more times, until I got to the grinding metal/hard bolt lift. To the point it would not raise.

It took a hammer to get the Bolt open. After looking at it. The grinding was happening at the pin cocking ramp and sure enough, there's metal there.

It must've gotten a gouge in it when I was cleaning. Is this something you would sandpaper 220grit? New firing pin assembly? Keep hammering it open until it wears out? Jk but maybe

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

I’d pull the assembly and clean it fully and inspect. If all looks okay, you can try a properly rated grease instead of oiling and see if that improves the symptoms. I know @Marbles had a grease he liked to use with proven results but that is coastal AK not dry desert like I shoot in.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Just remember that in extreme dust environments like I shoot in the grease collects and gums up way quicker than with a light coat of oil. It’s the reason I recommended that in my initial post over most traditional recommendations for grease. Same with bolt lugs. Regular cleaning to wipe dust/sand/grit and reapplying oil takes less than 5 minutes per rifle.

You need to find what works for you, this is simply what has worked for me.

 

[nm.otter]

Just remember that in extreme dust environments like I shoot in the grease collects and gums up way quicker than with a light coat of oil.

Fluid Film doesn't attract much dust. I'll try it on my T3X bolt once I get it back.

 

[Castle Rock]

Stop oiling that cocking ramp. Especially when they get that bad, it needs grease. There is a lot heavier load on that spot than any other part of your rifle, and the heavier the load, specially under slower speeds, the more benefit you get out of a grease.

The grease will be wiped off after a few cycles, however oil migrates and will be there long after the grease is just a memory.

 

[RockAndSage]

The grease will be wiped off after a few cycles, however oil migrates and will be there long after the grease is just a memory.

Respectfully, this is 100% backwards - the grease will stay put, because that's what greases are engineered and specified to do.

Machine engineers specify grease when they have unsealed machines that need lubrication, especially ones that will sit for long periods of time between cycles, need instant lubrication and reliability on the first cycle, and are exposed to the air and the oxidation and contaminants (dirt) that come with it. Again, machines that don't have seals, pumps, or reservoirs. Those get grease. Because grease acts like a sealant to protect the bearing/friction surfaces, and acts as both a reservoir and a pump (with cycling) for the oils suspended in it. Greases properly matched to a given machine have a certain level of tackifiers that ensure it stays put, even on vertical surfaces and under violent action.

But you're right about oil though - the oil migrates away, as you point out, just leaving a little sheen behind until that dries out too.

 

[Lawnboi]

Yeah my firing pin looks fairly clean.
When I got home I planned on uploading a video. So I ran some dry fires and after about 20 I got to the hard bolt lift and it was definitely grinding metal.

I pulled it apart, brake cleaned the firing pin and put some M-Pro 7(pencil head amount on my gloved fingers) and spread that over the spring and pin plunging the pin as much as I could to spread it.
Put it back together and ran the dry cycles about 20 more times, until I got to the grinding metal/hard bolt lift. To the point it would not raise.

It took a hammer to get the Bolt open. After looking at it. The grinding was happening at the pin cocking ramp and sure enough, there's metal there.

It must've gotten a gouge in it when I was cleaning. Is this something you would sandpaper 220grit? New firing pin assembly? Keep hammering it open until it wears out? Jk but maybe

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Your cocking piece on the end of the firing pin looks galled very badly.

I’d smooth it out and use some grease on the cocking ramp, with a little where that black cocking piece contacts it.

 

[Castle Rock]

Respectfully, this is 100% backwards - the grease will stay put, because that's what greases are engineered and specified to do.

Machine engineers specify grease when they have unsealed machines that need lubrication, especially ones that will sit for long periods of time between cycles, need instant lubrication and reliability on the first cycle, and are exposed to the air and the oxidation and contaminants (dirt) that come with it. Again, machines that don't have seals, pumps, or reservoirs. Those get grease. Because grease acts like a sealant to protect the bearing/friction surfaces, and acts as both a reservoir and a pump (with cycling) for the oils suspended in it. Greases properly matched to a given machine have a certain level of tackifiers that ensure it stays put, even on vertical surfaces and under violent action.

But you're right about oil though - the oil migrates away, as you point out, just leaving a little sheen behind until that dries out too.

At one time I agreed with what you said, but having used a good oil ( currently using Okuma spinning reel oil ) the bolt lift definitely stays smoother longer on rifles that get used a lot